FAQ’s
How have you adjusted your treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic?
We are currently following all CDC guidelines for treating medical professionals. This means that each patient is screened appropriately to ensure safety and appropriateness of treatment. Dr. Michelle Correia is fully vaccinated + boosted for COVID-19 and will wear a mask for close-contact treatments when the 6 foot distance recommendation cannot be utilized. Thankfully most of our evaluations occur horse barns, so the open air environment helps decrease risk.
Do you only treat injuries?
Nope! You don’t have to have pain to benefit from physical therapy. Physical Therapy can treat injuries but also provide injury prevention, biomechanical assessment, and strength programming as needed to help you reach your goals!
Do you have to evaluate both horse AND rider? Or can I just be seen?
We welcome individual sessions for rider or for horse. However, we encourage having both horse and rider to be assessed. This is due to the fact that when an equestrian is riding, they are not acting as an independent biomechanical system. When riding, a horse’s mechanics are impacted by your movement, weight shift, and overall compensations. So if you are impacted by an injury, pain, etc.. your horse may also be compensating for those mechanical errors too! It’s best practice to assess both for long term resolve of symptoms on either end.
Do I need a referral to see you?
The short answer is no.
Stable Body Physical Therapy is a mobile cash-based practice. We treat without billing insurance which also ensures that insurance does not impact the way we practice. We work for YOU, not the insurance company. This does mean we do have some limitations when treating individuals insured by Medicare at this time. Please contact Dr. Michelle Correia to discuss your options if you are interested in services and have Medicare.
Does my horse need a referral to see you?
In the state of Oregon, where we practice, we are required to have a referral on file to see your horse. It’s an easy process! We love this because it allows us to work collaboratively with your veterinarian and ensure your horse is provided the highest level of care!
Are you a massage therapist? Or a chiropractor? A bodyworker?
This is an extremely common question. A physical therapist is a bit of a gray area in healthcare. A physical therapist is a healthcare provider with a Doctorate level of education with extensive knowledge of kinematics, anatomy, and rehabilitation. A physical therapist in the human world is the musculoskeletal and orthopedic expert in their field. That field is still developing in animal rehabilitation. Our providers have been mentored and achieved the certifications of the highest level currently avaliable in this field to provide you and your horse with the best, evidence based treatment. Physical therapists are licensed to perform soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise, performanced based mobility work, and neuromuscular education.
How do I pay? What are my payment expectations?
An Initial Evaluation cost is $225/individual. This session typically takes about an hour and a half but has no time constraint to it. This session can be for a horse OR human athlete or, if appropriate, can be for both to assess interplay of movement.
Typically follow ups happen on a routine basis until a good program is established. Follow up pricing is on a tiered system based on time as listed below:
For treatments <30 minutes : $75
For treatments >30 minutes: $150
Prices may may change for treatments during a show. Dr. Michelle Correia is upfront about costs and happy to make treatments work for your needs.
What states do you treat in?
Currently, Dr. Michelle is licensed in Washington and Oregon. This means she can provide both virtual + in-person physical therapy sessions to human athletes, and equine rehabilitation to equine athletes with veterinarian referral.
If you live in a state outside of where Dr. Michelle provides physical therapy services, you do have options if you are interested in working with her. Dr. Michelle also offers biomechanical assessments virtually as well as strength + conditioning programming for the equestrian athlete. That service is specifically conditioning programming, NOT physical therapy.